AFTER lunch, feeling a bit literary in the gloomy weather,
I googled “annie dillard, coffee” and came upon a review
of Dillard’s The Writing Life by Bobby Matherne,
who echoes Annie’s comparison of writing to sculpting
and mentions Auguste Rodin – considered, in Wikipedia,
a progenitor of modern sculpture,
who in the fulfillment of his artistic duties had an affair
with his student Camille, herself a talented sculptor
(who sadly becomes mentally ill in later life)
and the sister of Paul Claudel, a poet and dramatist

LIGHTROOM has come a long way and the improvements not only in Develop module are indeed very significant in every version upgrade. Early January 2012, I downloaded the beta version of Lightroom 4 and like a boy testing a new toy, I was ecstatic to see the new wonders one is capable of.

CAR buff Jigs Arquiza meet two young men who know the importance of doing things the right way.

As anyone who owns a European car knows, owning one is never easy. You have to find a reliable source of parts, experienced and competent mechanics and technicians, and a service center that won’t rip you off. Having experienced this already, friends Joeven Lee and Kyle Uy decided to pool their resources and open something along the lines of a one-stop shop aimed at owners of European automobiles.

THE anticipation is enough to render us incapable of remembering the essentials. Our minds are pretty much stuffed with the euphoria brought about by the closing of the school year and the dawning of the glorious three-month summer bliss – and that’s perfectly okay! Don’t get too carried away though, as that just might be the cause of a major summer boo-boo. (Left your cell phone? Your underwear? Yikes!) Here are a few tips that will help you make sure you have got it covered.

HAPPY St. Patrick’s Day to all Lex In The City followers! Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk green! Aside from it being one of my favourite colours, it is also the colour of most of my favourite things and food, and one of them is wasabi!

CHARLES Streegan and ArtPostAsia launched the coffee table book “Cebu Furniture: A History of Inspiration and Innovation” last Monday, March 12 at Gilt in Crossroads Arcade, Banilad. The book is a 300-page coffee table book celebrating the furniture industry in Cebu from the mid-1940s onwards, chronicling the change in trends and innovative use of our local raw materials. Highlights of the pieces featured in the book were exhibited at Gilt that evening, including iconic pieces from Dedon, Debbie Palau, Infini, Pacific Traders, Mehitabel, Cosonsa, Detalia Aurora, and other furniture makers.

Just a glance at this fitness establishment in the Montebello Villa Hotel compound in Banilad will tell you that it’s not like any other gym in the city. For starters, there aren’t any gym equipment around: no treadmills, no rowing machines, or whatnot.

WHEN Shana Dagny Siap walks into a room, everyone’s attention fixes upon her. This is no mystery though, because everything about her demands attention. It would have been unusual if someone failed to notice her because a true diva knows how to make an entrance.

THE song moves in a melodramatic tune with lyrics that speak about heartbreak—that alone catches a lot of people’s attention as it is something many can certainly relate with. Simply titled ‘Pisik,’ it is a Cebuano ballad that has been gradually gaining popularity since its release less than a month ago. It is one of M.O.R.’s most requested songs, and its video on YouTube already has over 4,000 views. The song is an original piece done by Cebu’s hottest new singing group K-Boyz composed of Daryll Carillo, Fidel Cascabel, and Joseph Teves.

AMONG the most fascinating words in the Filipino language is ‘mutya,’ which in English is loosely translated as ‘muse’. It is often used to identify a lovely lady, one who exudes beauty in all manners. To bear the title Mutya ng Pilipinas then is a prestigious honor, as it simply means that she is the beauty that represents this country.

HAVE you had that experience where you joined a group of photographers on site and most of them are excitedly taking photos of potential angle and subject while you on the other hand can’t seem to connect on what they are seeing and how to find a good spot for yourself?

AFTER receiving a text message last year from human resource department that the school hired me as their Filipino teacher, I couldn’t elucidate my joy and I found my heart was also hurdling with bliss. ‘This is it!’ I said to myself. After the sweat of making a thesis, dealing with high school kids during practice teaching and finishing all my requirements, finally.. I’m employed.

LAST weekend was indeed a weekend to remember! Lately, I haven’t really been in a party mood but I was glad I took Rica Rellon’s invitation to Cowrie Cove at the Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.

TARA TRICIA MERCED and Althea Santillan get to know an adventure education advocate who made Cebu proud for being a sole passer in an international safety exam.

For Peter Jay Alera, technical engineer and security and safety officer of the Kool Adventure Camp (KAC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), his job of ensuring that campers are secure is a lot of fun. He gets to teach them the importance of safety before they climb walls, jump from a pole, and walk on a wire that is several meters from the ground, as part of KAC’s experiential education program.

TEN years have passed since the popular British-Norwegian boyband A1 visited Cebu.

They were one of the most well-known pop acts of the late 90s, known for hits such as ‘Like A Rose’, ‘Caught In The Middle’, ‘Same Old Brand New You’, and a revival of ‘Take on Me.’ The boys, now composed of Ben Adams, Mark Read, and Christian Ingebrigtsen, recently returned to the Queen city as they joined YoungLife Health Care and Education Foundation in launching The YoungLife Village project.

I HAVE always been a fan of photographers breaking the norms of photography. If there is someone who cares about white balance more than his wife, that would be Archie Uy. His love for music and photography makes him a true artist. In one of our shoot together, I was surprise to see him using a density filter in an outdoor portrait shoot. I was a little bit confused since most of us use this type of filter in landscape photography.

RECENTLY, I and my wife Chacha had the pleasure of joining Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa’s general manager Joachim Schutte (a former chef) and executive chef Joris Rycken in a special meal in Chef Joris’ office. According to them, it’s called a “Chef’s Table”, and it is akin to the captain’s table on a cruise liner. Not very many people are given invitations to an occasion such as this. Therefore, to be invited to dine with the executive chef at his own table, together with the resort’s general manager, is an honor indeed.

In celebration of Arts Month in February, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) launched the exhibit, entitled “Visayan Verve: A Tribute to Bisaya Artists”, which will run from Feb. 17 to March 15 at the Casa Gorordo Museum.

The exhibit is initiated in partnership with the University of San Carlos-Cebuano Studies Center; Halad Museum; Alternative Contemporary Arts Studio; and the assistance of Cebuano artist Marvin Natural and the family of the late Martino Abellana.

WHAT makes a picture perfect? Fiona Patricia S. Escandor learns from this year’s winner of the Sinulog Photo Contest.

When Louis Enario received a text message saying he won the grand prize in this year’s Sinulog Photo Contest, he brushed it off as a prank. “The number wasn’t registered in my contacts list so I thought it was a joke,” he recalls. “Then I called the number up, and my first reaction was ‘You’re messing with me, right?’”

A SIGN on the door says no bystanders are allowed inside. Rightly so, as it just might distract the artists while they work. Concentration is everything here—after all, the art they’re crafting isn’t the kind that is easily remedied by an eraser. But somehow, the place remains to have a laidback aura. As artist Frances Flordeliz would put it, “Cool ni siya nga lugar.”

This is Crol’s Tattoo Studio. Opened in 2009 by tattoo artist Carlo ‘Crol’ Gabiana, the place is known to be where noted personalities, mostly rock stars, get inked.

THEe human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials – engineered organic beings identical to humans – has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.